LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- A new Federal Government survey has found that more than 83 percent of Nigerians support regulating children’s access to social media, protecting them against harmful content exposure, digital addiction and cyber threats.
The findings were released by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy through its Minister Bosun Tijani, during a roundtable on the Protection of Children Online held in Lagos.
The event, organized by the ministry in partnership with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), highlighted how four in five Nigerians support age-based social media regulations.
Presenting the results, Senior Special Adviser to the Minister, Kasim Sodangi, said the 2024 survey, titled “Proposed Social Media Age Regulation in Nigeria,” gathered the views of 585 participants on children’s access to social media platforms.
The study examined online risks, legal frameworks, enforcement measures and future policy options.
According to the survey, 83.4 percent of respondents supported regulating children’s social media use.
Of that figure, 64.8 percent backed direct regulation, while 18.6 percent favored restrictions but preferred a different minimum age requirement.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Army Warns Soldiers Against Social Media Use
In addition, 64.5 percent of respondents supported setting the minimum social media age at 16 or 17 years, which is higher than the commonly used global age threshold of 13 years.
“Of the 583 respondents who answered this question, 98.6 percent identified as Nigerian, with only 1.4 percent identifying as Non-Nigerian. This near-total Nigerian representation ensures that the survey results authentically reflect the perspectives of those most directly affected by any proposed social media age regulation in Nigeria. The findings of this poll are grounded in the lived experiences and concerns of Nigerian citizens, making the data highly relevant for domestic policy formulation,” Tijani reported.
Furthermore, concern over children’s safety online was widespread.
The survey found that 93.5 percent of respondents were either greatly or extremely worried about the safety of children under 18 on social media platforms.
Among them, 69.2 percent expressed extreme concern, while 24.3 percent reported high levels of concern.
The study identified exposure to harmful or inappropriate content as the biggest online risk facing children, cited by 90.9 percent of respondents.
Digital addiction followed at 83.6 percent, while 82.4 percent highlighted online grooming as a major threat.
The survey also revealed that 74.5 percent believed children and parents lacked sufficient awareness of the legal consequences of cyber offences.
Meanwhile, 97.6 percent supported a duty-of-care framework requiring social media platforms to take proactive steps to prevent harm to children.
Speaking at the event, Tijani said the rapidly evolving digital environment required continuous updates to laws, policies and protective measures.
“The debate should focus on implementing age restrictions effectively rather than questioning the need for such safeguards. Nigeria can deploy digital identity infrastructure and existing platform verification systems to strengthen enforcement of age-based social media regulations. The fact that some people may bypass regulations is not a reason for safeguards not to exist,” he said.
The minister added that protecting children online would require cooperation among government agencies, parents, technology companies and other stakeholders.
Also speaking, NDPC National Commissioner, Dr Vincent Olatunji, warned that children face growing dangers across digital platforms, including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, harmful content exposure and mental health challenges.
He stressed that while internet access remains important for education and development, effective safeguards are necessary to reduce risks to children.
Olatunji also described online child protection as a shared responsibility involving government, schools, parents, communities and digital platform operators.
Notably, participants at the roundtable called for stronger digital literacy programmes, better age-verification systems, increased parental involvement and greater accountability from social media companies to improve child online safety across Nigeria.
